Knitting machine



Aug. 11, 1936. w. GROTHEY I 2,050,946

KNITTING MACHINE Filed April 28, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR IVAN W.GROTHEY av ma ATi'ORNEYS MMM Aug. 11, 1936. l. w. GROTHEY KNITTINGMACHINE Filed April 28, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 v INVENTOR IVAN W. GROTHEYBY HIS ATTORNEYS Aug. 11, 1936. WGROTHEY v Filed April 28, 1933 4Sheets-Sheet 5 rllllll llLl INVENTOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 BY HIS ATTORNEYSIVAN W. GROTHEY l. w. GROTHEY KNITTING MACHINE Ticrll.

Filed April 28, 1933 Aug. 11, 1936.

fln l l lllllll Patented Aug. H, 1936 KNITTING MAC -1. r

I Ivan W. Grothey, Laconia, N. BL, assignor to Scott 8; Williams,Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of MassachusettsApplication April 28, 1933, Serial N0. 668,456

14 Claims. (Cl. 66-50) This invention relates to knitting machines andmore particularly to circular knitting machines arranged to wrapcomparatively small groups of selected needles with embroidery yarns inorder to form embroidery patterns of various designs and it is an objectof this invention to provide an improved knitting machine of the typedescribed which ncrmally knits a plurality of yarns in plating relationin order to form the fabric and which knits embroidery yarns with thebacking yarn, while the normal facing yarn is floated in order to formembroidery patterns. It is also an object of this invention to provide aknitting machine of the type described, by which hollow or openembroidery patterns are formed by knitting embroidery yarns with thebacking yarn while the normal facing yarn floats and normally platedfabric or normally plated fabric and patterns of the backing yarn aloneare formed within the outline of the hollow or open embroidery pattern,the embroidery yarns and the normal facing ,yarn being floated betweenthe wales of the embroidery pattern in which they are fed to theneedles.

In the drawings, in which this invention is shown applied to a Scott andWilliams circular knitting machine of the general type shown in thepatent to Page and Swinglehurst, No. 1,906,204, issued April 25, 1933.The wrap mechanism broadly is claimed in the application of William N.Taggart, Ser. No. 560,153, filed August 29, 1931.

Fig. 1 is a horizontal section of the head of a circular knittingmachine constructed in accordance with this invention, the section beingtaken above the operating cams for the jacks, and some parts beingbroken away to show other parts more clearly;

Fig. 2 is a partial horizontal section of the machine shown in Fig. 1drawn to a larger scale and taken on a lower plane than Fig. 1; a numberof parts being omitted in order to more clearly show various positionsof the jacks, a particular group of jacks being indicated i severalsuccessive positions;

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of the means limiting the inward movementof the reeder cams used in the jack selecting means;

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of a modificatio of the structure shown inFig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fi 4;

Fig. 6 is a partial vertical section taken on line 6--6 ofFig. 1 andshowing a detail of the means for rendering the jack selection meansoperative or inoperative;

Figs. 7, 8, 9, and are vertical sections through the needle cylindertaken at difierent places so as to show diiierent phases of the jack andneedle operation; Fig. 7 showing jack selection between jacks ofembroidery and plating needles; Fig. 8 showing embroidery needles raisedby their jacks for operation by needle operating cams to take theembroidery yarn; Fig. 9 show- 10 ing an embroidery needle taking theembroidery yarn, its auxiliary jack lowering its main jack and acanioperating the lower portion of the main jack inwardly; Fig. 10 showingthe operation of the jacks of the plating needles to press their lowerportions outwardly in position for operation by their operating cam; and

Fig. 11 is a development of a portion of the needle cylinder with theoperating cams for the needles and jacks positioned thereon andshowingsuccessive phases in the operation of a group of needles which may'takethe same embroidery yarn and-their jacks in a single rotation of theneedle cylinder. v

In the drawings there have been shown only such parts of the knittingmachine shown in the Page and Swinglehurst Patent No. 1,906,204, as arenecessary for an understanding of this invention and its relation to theknitting machine of said patent as the various parts of the knittingmachine shown are operated in the same manner asin said Patent No.1,906,204, except where a modified construction and operation are hereinset forth.

As shown in the drawings the machine comprises a revolving needlecylinder 260 operated by suitable operating means (not shown) which maybe as shown in the patent to Robert W. Scott, No. 1,152,850, issuedSeptember 7, 1915. The revolving needle cylinder contains a circularseries of vertically movable independent needles N, which cooperate withthe usual knitting cams 351, 360, 36l located below the throat plate 560in the usual latch ring. The usual sinkers and sinker cam cap will alsobe provided, as will also the pattern yarn bobbin stand, its operatingmeans and the pattern yarn fingers as, shown in latcnt No. 1,906,204.

Cooperating with the knitting cams in the oper; ating of the needles arejacks I36 lying in the slots of the needle cylinder 260 below theneedles N and operated by cams, to be later described, which are mountedon the bed plate B to raise selected needles to receive the wrapping andfaclng'yams. The selection of the jacks for the operation of the needlesis accomplished as in Patent No. 1,906,204, by means of a trick wheel800 rotatably mounted on the bed plate B and which is racked a step at atime by the ratchet pawl 803 in the usual manner. The trick wheel 800has vertical slots in which are mounted pattern jacks having a pluralityof butts thereon. Various butts on the pattern jacks are broken off inaccordance with the desired pattern, so that the'pattern jacks willcooperate with reader cams 820 pivotally mounted one above another onthe vertical post 82I mounted in the bed plate B. The reader cams 820select the jacks I36 or operation by the operating cams and the jackscontrol the operation of the needles to receive the various yarns.

Pattern yarn finger selecting mechanism as shown in Patent No. 1,906,204is also provided. This comprises the reader cams 825 and 825' which areconnected to the yarn finger selector cam (not shown) by the links 834and 034', shaft 832 and sleeve 833 and lever arms 838 and 839.

Cooperating with the two lower butts of the pattern jacks of the trickwheel 800 are reader cams 820a and 820b, shown in the drawings, as thetwo lowermost reader cams on the vertical post 82I. The reader cams 820aand 8201) have cam portions which engage butts on the jacks I36 andforked ends 822a and 8221) similar to the forked end 822 of the cams 820which engage a stop 99 to limit the movement of the reader cams towardthe jacks. The stop 99 may be.a separately adjustable lower portion ofthe usual reader cam stop positioned so as to limit the cams 820a and820?) to a lesser inward movement than cams 820. In Fig. 3, the stop 99is shown of sufilcient height to cooperate with a number of reader cams.In the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the stop 99' is additionalto the usual reader cam stop and is placed so as to limit the readercams it engages to a lesser inward movement than the usual reader camstop. The stop 99' may be of suflicient height to engage a greaternumber of reader cams than the two reader cams 820a and 820?) with whichit is shown cooperating in the drawings. Jacks having butts engaged bythe reader cams 020a and 02% have their bottom portions moved inwardlyto a less extent than jacks having butts engaged by the reader cams 820.

In order to insure engagement of the jacks by the reader cams 820, 820aand 820b, there is placed in advance of the reader cams a cam I which ispivotally mounted upon the upper portion of the post 82I in position toengage butts 136a, at the upper portions of the jacks and move the upperportions of the jacks inwardly and the lower portions outwardly, thejacks, as shown in Figs. 7 to 10, being slightly angular. The cam I00 isprovided with an operating arm I 0 I extending at an angle to the bodyof the cam I00 and positioned to be engaged and operated by the steppedend of a. push rod I 03, which is operated by cams on the main patterndrum (not shown) and is guided in a slot'in a guide bracket I04 attachedto the bed plate B. A spring I05 attached to the arm IOI and the bedplate B holds the arm MI in engagement with the stepped end of the pushrod I03 and retracts the arm {ill to withdraw the cam I00 from operativeposition as the push rod I03 is withdrawn or lowered.

Pivotally mounted on a post I06 carried by the bedplate B is one end ofa lever I01, the opwardly, which position is retained by" the jacksposite end of which is connected to the arm IOI. by the link I08. Uponthe lever I01 intermediate the ends thereof there is mounted a cam I I0positioned to engage butts at the upper portions of some of the jacks.The connection be- 5 tween the arm WI and lever I01 is such that thecams I00 and H0 are moved similarly and simultaneously, that is, theyare moved towards the jacks simultaneously and away from the jackssimultaneously. As shown in Fig. 11, cam 10 H0 is situated insubstantially the same plane as the cam I00 and is positioned to engagethe top butts of all jacks which are in their lowest position.

Attached to the bedplate B are cams H3, H0, H5 and I20, cam II3affording an outer cam face or surface H6 spaced from the needlecylinder sufiiciently so as to be engaged only by those jacks which havenot been pushed in by any of the reader cams, and an inner cam face orsurface II'I positioned so as to be engaged only by those jacks whichare forced part way in by either reader cam 820a or 8211b. Those jackswhich are moved all the way in by any of the reader cams 820 do notcontact with either cam surface H5 or II! of the cam H3.

- Cam II 4 is positioned to engage all jacks, the lower portions ofwhich have not been moved inwardly to the fullest extent and moves thelower ends thereof inwardly to the maximum amount so that the butts onthe upper ends of all jacks which have not been raised will bepositioned to be engaged by the cam H0 which moves the upper ends ofsuch jacks inwardly and the lower ends thereof outwardly in position tobe engaged by the cam surface I I0 of the cam H5. Following the cam H5is a cam I20 which engages the bottom butts of all the jacks so as tomove the bottom portions of all the jacks in- 40 until engaged by thecam I00.

In the operation of the machine the trick wheel 800 is racked forward bythe pawl 003 bringing the various pattern jacks into register with thereader cams 820 and operating the reader cams in accordance therewith.With the operation of the upper reader cams 020 those jacks having buttsengaged by the reader cams 820 have their bottom portions moved inwardlyso that the jacks will not be engaged and raised by the cam H3 while thejacks which do not have butts engaged by the upper reader cams havetheir bottom portions left in the outer or forward position to beengaged by the cam H3. This arrangement divides the needles into two 55groups, one group comprising needles whose jacks are not engaged by thecam H3 and which are subsequently operated to take both the facing andbacking yarns and the other group comprising needles whose jacks areraised by the cam H3 and which needles do not take the facing yarn butdo take the backing yarn and may or may not be raised to take thewrapping yarn. With the operation of the two lower reader cams 820a and8201) which have a lesser inward movement than reader cams 820, those ofthe jacks not engaged by the upper reader cams 820 and which have buttsengaged by either of the lower reader cams, will be moved inwardly atthe bottom sufficiently to clear the face H6 of cam II3 but not farenough to clear the face I I! of cam I I3. The jacks not pushed in byany of the reader cams 820, 820a or 02% are left with their bottomportions in the outer or forward position where they are engaged by the7 face IIIi of cam H3. The provision of reader cams 820a and 8211bprovides an additional selection among the needles which do not take thefacing yarn which permits of such needles being operated to take boththe wrapping and backing yarns or the backing yarn alone as all needleswhose jacks are not moved inwardly by reader cams 820 are operated totake both wrapping and backing yarns unless their jacks are movedinwardly part way by the reader cams 820a and 8211b in which case theseneedles take the backing yarn only. Providing the two reader cams 820aand 8201; for this additional selection makes possible a two-steppattern but it is to be understood the patterns of a greater number ofsteps can be provided by the use of a larger number of reader camshaving the same limited inward movement as reader cams 820a and 82Gb.For the purpose of more clearly illustrating the operations abovedescribed the jacks which are moved inwardly by the reader cams 820 areshown in outline inlFig. ll; the jacks which are moved inwardly part wayby reader cams 820a and 82% are shown stippled, while the jacks whichare not operated by any of the reader cams 820, 820a and 820b, are shownin black. The needles corresponding to these jacks are similarly drawn.

The jacks whose lower portions have been moved all the way in by thereader cams 820 will not be raised by the cam II3; the jacks which havebeen moved part way in by the reader cams 820a and 82Gb will be raisedby the cam surface II! to a point in which thelarge butts 136a at theupper ends of the jacks are above the level of the cam III! and whilethese jacks operate the intermediate jacks their operation has no effectupon the needles in the same grooves. The jacks which are not movedinwardly by the reader cams 820a and 82% are raised by the cam surfaceIIB to the full height of the cam II3, moving the intermediate jacks inthe same grooves therewith into engagement with the needles N in thesame grooves and raising the needles to a position in which they will beoperated by the cam I25 to a position in which the needles take theembroidery or wrapping yarn F from the corresponding wrapping yarn guideas shown in Fig. 11. As the jacks raise the needles into position toengage the cam I25 they pass from the cam H3 and butts on the lower endsof the intermediate jacks, engage the cam I28 and draw down the jacks ofthe needles taking the wrapping yarns to the level of the jacks whichwere raised by the inner cam face II! of' the cam H3. As the jacks passoi? the cam II3 they approach the cam H4 positioned to engage all jacksand move inwardly the lower ends of all jacks which have not been movedinwardly the full distance. Moving the lower ends of the jacks inwardlyforces the upper ends of the jacks outwardly and the butts 735a on theupper ends of the jacks which have not been raised are engaged by thecam II as shown in Fig. 10, while the corresponding butts on the otherjacks pass above the cam I I0 and these jacks are not operated by camH0. The jacks engaged by the cams IIll have the lower ends movedoutwardly to engage with the cam H8, while the remaining jacks pass infront of the cam and are not operated thereby.

The needles to which the wrapping yarns are fed are engaged by the camI26 and lowered to a level in which they wi l receive the backing yarn Fat the throat plate 560, but not the facing yarn F, while the needlescorresponding to the jacks raised by the cam face ill have not beenoperated by the jacks but are left by the draw down cam 90 at such alevel that they take only 5 the body yarn F at the throat plate. Thejacks which engage the cam face I I8 of the cam II5 are raised toelevate the corresponding needles to a position in which both the facingand backing yarns F and B respectively are taken at the throat plate 560and these needles, as well as the remaining needles, are operated toknit by the usual knitting cams 351 and 360 at the throat plate. As thejacks operated by the cam II5 raise the needles to take the facing yarnF they pass from the cam M5 and the butts on the lower ends of theintermediate jacks are engaged by the cam I30 which also engages thecorresponding butts on all of theother intermediate jacks, so that alljacks are 20 lowered to a position in which the butts at the lower endsthereof are engaged by the cam I20 and the butts at the upper ends ofthe jacks positioned for engagement by the cam I00.

After operation by the regular knitting cams the needles are raised bythe clearing cam and lowered by the draw down cam so that the loops onall needles are cleared of the latches and the needles are returned to aposition in which the loops are below the latches and the 30 needles areat the proper level for taking the backing yarn F In the operation ofthis machine it will be noted that the selection made by the upperreader cams 820 between wrapping and nonwrapping needles or betweenneedles which knit and needles which float the normal facing yarn Fdetermines the width; that is, the number of wales in an embroiderypattern in any particular course. The jacks of the needles selected forwrapping by the upper reader cams 820 are left with their lower endspressed out in position to have their bottom butts engaged by the twolower reader cams 820a and 82Gb operated by the trick wheel 800. Thisrenders it possible to make a further selection of needles which do nottake the wrapping yarn among the needles selected by the upper readercams 820 for taking the wrapping yarn and floating the normal facingyarn and it is thus possible to make selections such that normallyplated fabric and patterns of the backing yarn alone may be knit withinthe limits, that is, between wales of an embroidery pattern. It alsomakes possible the knitting of patterns of the body yarn only by 5moving in part way by reader cams 820a and 8201) the jacks of a group ofneedles so as to float the normal plating yarn on these needles.

A fabric of the type knit on the machine above described is shown anddescribed in my 60 co-pending application Serial No. 668,457, filedApril 28, 1933.

What is claimed is:-

I. In a. knitting machine, yarn guides supplying a plurality of yarns,needles for selectively 65 knitting said yarns, cams operating saidneedles to take and knit said yarns, jacks positioning needles forselective operation by said cams, jack selecting means, means operatinga plurality of jack selections to different levels for determining 70the selection of yarns by the needles of said jacks, means operating theremaining jack selections and means maintaining the jack selectionsuntil all jacks are operated.

2. In a knitting machine having independent 75 needles yarn guides forsupplying wrapping, facing and backing yarns to said needles, cams foroperating said needles to take said yarns, jacks for effecting selectiveoperation of said needles by said cams, jack selecting means, cam meansacting on selected jacks to cause needles to be raised for wrapping andto raise the jacks of the needles taking the backing yarn only, saidjack selecting means causing the remaining jacks to pass said jackoperating cam means, a. cam to operate the remaining jacks to raisetheir needles for plating, means positioning the jacks of the platingneedles for operation by said cam means and means positioning the jacksof the needles operated to wrap and to take the backing yarn only topass the operating cam of the jacks of the plating needles.

3. In a knitting machine having independent needles, yarn guides forsupplying wrapping,

facing and backing yarns to said needles, cams for. operating saidneedles to take said yarns,

jacks for efiecting selective operation of said needles for taking saidyarns, jack selecting plating needles to effect operation of said nee:

dles and means positioning the jacks of the plating needles to engagethe operating cam therefor and means positioning the jacks of thewrapping needles and the needles I which float both the wrapping andplating yarns to pass the operating cam for the jacks of the platingneedles.

4. In a knitting machine having independent needles,. yarn guides forsupplyingwrapping,

facing and backing yarns to said needles, cams for operating saidneedles to take said yarns, jacks for efiecting selective operation ofsaid needles by said cams, jack selecting means for selecting jacks fordetermining the needles for wrapping, plating and taking the backingyarn only, cam means for operating the jacks to effect operation of thewrapping needles and for raising the jacks of the needles which take thebacking yarn only, said jack selecting means positioning the jacks ofthe plating needles to pass said jack operating cam means, a cam foroperating the jacks of the plating needles to effect operation of saidneedles, means for positioning the jacks of the plating needles forengagement by their operating cam and means positioning the jacks of thewrapping needles and the needles taking the backing yarn only to passthe positioning and operating cams for the jacks of the plating needles.

5. In a knitting machine having independent needles, yarn guidessupplying wrapping, facing and backing yarns tosaid needles, cams foroperating said needles to take and knitsaid yarns to form plated fabricand embroidery and float stitch patterns, jacks for effecting selectiveoperation of said needles in taking-said yarns, means selecting foroperation the jacks of needles taking the wrap and backing yarns to formembroidery and float stitch patterns, means for operating said selectedjacks, means posijack selecting ,means positioning the jacks of r theplating needles to pass said jack operating cams, means returning theraised jacks to a position vertically displaced from the jacks of theplating needles, an operating cam for the jacks of the plating needlesand means positioning the Vertically diplaced jacks to pass theoperating cam of the jacks of the plating needles and the jacks of theplating needles to engage the operating cam therefor.

7. A circular knitting machine having independent needles, means forfeeding wrap, backing and plating yarns, in combination with independentjacks for raising said needles, selecting means for said jacks, cammeans acting on selected jacks to cause needles to be raised forwrapping and to raise the jacks of needles taking the backing yarn only,a. second cam means for acting. on the remaining-jacks toraise needlesfor plating and ineans shifting the first raised jacks to pass saidsecond cam means and the remaining jacks to engage said second cammeans.

. 8. A circular knitting machine having independent needles, meansfor'feeding wrap, backing and plating yarns, in combination withindependent jacks for raising said needles, selecting means for saidjacks, cam means acting on selected jacks to cause needles to be raisedfor wrapping and to raise the jacks of needles taking the backing yarnonly, means returning said raised jacks to a position verticallydisplaced from the remaining jacks, a second cam means for acting on theremaining jacks to raise needles for plating and means for shifting thefirst raised jacks to pass said second cam means and Y the remainingjacks to engage said second cam jacksof said wrapping and patterningneedles,

a cam to operate the jacks of said plating needles, means positioningthe jacks of said wrapping and patterning needles to clear the operatingcam for the jacks of said plating needles, and means positioning thejacks of the plating nee dles to'engage their operating cam. 1Q. In acircular knitting machine having indepen'dentneedles, yarn guidesfeeding wrapping,

facing and backing yarns to said needles, means selecting needles toknit an open embroidery pattern extending over a plurality of wales in acourse and of a wrapping yarn and a backing yarn and plated fabric ofthe facing and'backing yarns between wales of said embroidery pattern,means selecting needles to knit patterns of the backing yarn onlybetween wales of said embroidery pattern and means operating saidneedles to take and knit said yarns, said facing and backing yarns beingfed as weft yarns continuously around the needle circle.

11. In a circular knitting machine having independent needles, yarnguides supplying wrapping, facing and backing yarns to said needles,means for selecting needles to take and knit said facing and backingyarns as plated fabric, means to select needles to float said facingyarn and take and knit said backing yarn, means for selecting operatingneedles to take and knit said backing yarn and a wrapping yarn to forman open embroidery pattern enclosing areas of plated fabric and fabricconsisting of the backing yarn, said facing and backing yarns being fedas weft yarns continuously around the circle of needles.

12. In a circular knitting machine having independent needles, yarnguides supplying wrapping, facing and backing yarns to said needles,means to operate said needles to take and knit said facing and backingyarns as a plated fabric, means selecting needles to float said facingyarn and to take and knit said wrapping yarn to form an open embroiderypattern enclosing plated fabric and means to select needles to fioatsaid facing yarn within the limits of said embroidery pattern, saidfacing and backing yarns being fed as weft yarns continuously around thecircle of needles.

13. In a circular knitting machine having independent needles, yarnguides for supplying a wrapping yarn to a group of needles in a course 5and for supplying facing and backing yarns as weft yarns continuouslyaround the circle of needles, cams for operating said needles to takeand knit said yarns, jacks positioning needles for operation by saidcams, and means selecting jacks for positioning needles for operation towrap, plate and knit patterns of the backing yarn comprising reader camsengaging said jacks and means operating said reader cams to make allselections at one point.

14. In a circular knitting machine having independent needles, yarnguides for supplying a wrapping yarn to a group of needles in a courseand for supplying plating and body yarns as weft yarns continuouslyaround the circle of needies, cams operating said needles to take andknit said yarns, jacks positioning needles for selective operation bysaid cams, jack selecting means determining the selection of said yarnsby said needles, said selecting means dividing said jacks for operationof the jacks of wrapping and body yarn patterning needles in advance ofthe jacks of the plating needles, said jack selecting means positioningthe jacks of the plating needles to preserve the selection thereofduring the operation of the jacks of the remaining needles.

IVAN W. GROTHEY.

